The present invention relates to methods and apparatus for enabling an individual to estimate, or make "takeoffs" of, quantities and dimensions from job plans. More particularly, the present invention relates to light projectors and computerized systems for enabling takeoffs from job plans.
The working drawings (i.e., the floor plan, the site plan, the electrical plan, etc.) produced for constructing a building or other project are referred to generally as the "job plans", or just "the plans", of the project. Once such plans are produced, much of the remaining engineering, bidding and construction processes revolve about them. Electrical contractors, mechanical contractors and various others must use those plans to generate estimations of the amount of supplies and the cost of the equipment and services needed to complete the respective portions of the project.
In order to produce such estimations, an individual must view the plans (or a facsimile thereof) and translate them into representative numbers or figures. Such numbers and figures and any other representations taken from the plans are referred to as "takeoffs", and the process by which they are produced is commonly referred to as "making takeoffs" from the plans. The traditional method for making takeoffs involves using a scale, a pen and paper to tediously count and measure the number and dimensions of the components needed and then record the same on paper. From these records, the price per quantity or size of each type of component can be used to generate an estimation or a bid on the job.
This manner of making takeoffs can entail many hours of measuring, calculating, and checking for errors. For instance, a prospective electrical contractor would, as he viewed the electrical plans, individually count the number and note the specifications of each and every outlet or other electrical fixture shown on the plans. Then he would use a linear scale to estimate the length of and figure the gauge of all the wiring needed to connect the fixtures, making records along the way. Many other types of contractors also commonly make takeoffs from plans for bidding, including electrical, mechanical, HVAC, landscape, interiors and other subcontractors.
Accordingly, numerous parties are in need of access to the job plans throughout the planning, bidding and construction processes. Unfortunately, if a prospective contractor cannot obtain a copy of the plans themselves, access to the plans typically requires making frequent trips either to the general contractor or to local administrative agencies which keep the plans on record for public access. Such constraints are time consuming, wasteful and therefore costly.
Furthermore, when several parties are desirous of using the same plans, the plans often become worn, torn, marked on by others, or otherwise become illegible in the process of their use, especially since the engineering, bidding and construction processes may take several years to complete. Due to the necessary size of a sheet of plans, they must also be rolled or folded and can be difficult to store.
To circumvent such problems, other more advantageous forms of representing and using the plans of a project have been sought. Along this line, it is an object of the present invention to enable quicker and easier takeoffs from the project plans. It is also an object of the present invention to preserve the life of the plans or plan facsimiles from which takeoffs are taken. Another object is to enable making of takeoffs without the traditional tedious process of measuring, counting and recording by hand.
With the advent of microfilm, it was found that copying the paper versions of the plans onto microfilm enabled convenient and wide distribution of the plans to all parties who might desire them. In this manner, many of the difficulties with transporting, storing, and maintaining paper plans were alleviated. In fact, the F.W. Dodge Division ("Dodge") of McGraw-Hill Information Systems Company currently provides the service of providing microfilm copies of job plans to subscribers who are manufacturers or distributors of the types of products needed in those job plans. That greatly opens the market for such manufacturers and distributors by giving them quick access to a large number of plans where they may find business opportunities. Dodge has been in this business for several years and has advertised that more than 6,000 firms currently subscribe to those services. In conjunction with the provision of such microfilm, the Dodge Division provides viewers called "Dodge/SCAN" viewers, for projecting an image from the microfilms onto a screen from which takeoffs may be taken.
Other systems are also known for enabling the making of takeoffs, including computerized estimating systems having length and count probes for takeoff measurements directly from a job plan. Such length and count probes are employed in direct contact with job plans to count and trace out the scaled length of component dimensions. The measurements and counts from such probes are entered directly into a computer system in which they are factored for material and labor prices in order to generate an estimate for the job.
However, the process of making takeoffs and secondary estimations, even with the known improvements as mentioned above, still remains as a tedious and time-consuming process subject to error, and it is an object of the present invention to further enable quicker, easier and more accurate takeoffs from project plans.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a means for adapting to presently known apparatus which project the image of a job plan in a manner which enables quick and accurate counting and measuring of features on the projected job plan and which further factors such measurements into advantageous forms. Other objects of the present inventor include overcoming the problems and difficulties encountered and presented by the prior art, and still others will be obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art from a reading of this specification.